Redirecting of
priorities to fulfill
personal needs with
self fulfillment

Humanistic
Knowledge

TransactionalAnalysis

(cognitive)

Playing out of
inappropriate roles
from learned past experiences

Re-education of mechanics of roles

(parent, adult, child)

Educative
Knowledge

BehavioralCounseling

(behavior)

Wrong learned
behavior

Relearning
based primarily upon
a reward system omitting punishment

Experimental
Knowledge

Reality Therapy

(facing issues)

Refusal to accept
current reality
resulting in blame
and escapism

Confrontation
with facts

Authoritative
Knowledge

BiblicalCounseling

(obeying God)

Sin and a lack of
understanding spiritual knowledge, wisdom,
and truth

Application of the
Word of God
by hearing and
obeying God

Revelational
Knowledge

Strengths
and Weaknesses"There are many devices in a man's heart;nevertheless the counsel of the LORD, that shall
stand"(Proverbs 19:21).

Psychoanalysis attempts
to have people recall, interpret, and work through childhood experiences.
Childhood experience may dramatically influence adult life. Emotional
wounds (especially parental abuse) may influence many areas of the adult
life. However, psychoanalysis often over emphasizes the sexual aspect.
Furthermore, just recalling a negative childhood experience does not bring
emotional healing. Only God through Jesus can accomplish that. Also,
false doctrines and concepts learned in childhood may cause inner conflicts
in adulthood. However, the lies must be confronted with the truth
of the Word.

Non-directive Counseling
emphasizes the importance of getting the individual to share his problems.
The individual may need to unload and air his problems, and it is important
the counselor affirms the worth of the client by listening. However,
just sharing doesn't bring resolution to the problems. It is also
important to allow the individual come to a conclusion; however, it is
more important to direct the individual to the correct conclusion.
Furthermore, if the individual had the answer within himself he wouldn't
really need a counselor. Furthermore, so called "common knowledge"
is not always true knowledge and is, in fact, often wrong.

Existential Counselingattempts
to relate the unfulfilled "needs" and "potential" to issues and to aid
the individual to redirect their energy to best fulfill their needs and
reach their potential. Every person "needs" to have certain needs met.
However, man is not to look at himself to fulfill his needs or potential.
God is to be his source. Furthermore, what the individual or even
the counselor may consider to be the proper priorities may not be what
God considers to be the priorities. Man is to be God-centered, not
self-centered.

Transactional Analysis emphasizes
the proper playing of roles (child, parent, adult). This is a favored approach
in communications in the business world. An adult should not treat
another adult as a child. Neither should a parent of a child treat
the child as an adult. However, even proper role playing may not change
a rebellious attitude. Everyone is not O.K. Furthermore, this approach
to counseling gives little allowance for the principles of authority.
Transactional Analysis normally does not address the truth that God works
through authority to teach, correct, discipline, prosper, empower, and
protect.

Behavioral Counseling says
that we are simply a product of our environment; therefore, we need to
be reconditioned through the proper training. It is true that society
(especially the home environment) exerts pressure on people to behave in
a certain way. Furthermore, some relearning may be necessary.
However, we are not robots or simply a products of our environment.
Behavioral counseling often pits reward against punishment. The preferred
approach in behavioral counseling is reward because it generally gets better
results. However, the combination of both is seldom used as balanced
in the Scriptures.

Reality Therapyapproaches
counseling from a confrontational perspective. The counselor confronts
the individual with the facts of life, expecting him to face up to the
issues. It is true that we are to confront people with the truth
in love as directed by the Holy Spirit. However, the problem is that
most troubled people are running from the issues. Some professionals have
categorized some forty defense mechanisms that people use to avoid facing
the truth. Often people run from the issues because they don't see
any solution for their issues; therefore the counselor must also offer
true solutions to the issues.

Biblical Counseling aspires
to the truth that God has an answer for every issue and actively intervenes
in the lives of individuals. The answers are found in the Word of
God and revealed by the Holy Spirit. When an individual responds
correctly in faith to the Word of God, God will bring solutions to his
problems, peace of mind, and fulfillment. Each approach to counseling is
based upon some truth; however, only the Biblical Counseling approach
is based entirely upon the truth which can produce effective, long lasting
positive results. Furthermore, the other approaches may lead one
even into greater difficulties. One also should note that many Christian
counselors, because of their secular training, use primarily one of the
secular approaches to counseling along with some Scriptures.